Local land service election

12 Feb 2014, 2 a.m.

CHAIR of Hunter Local Land Services (LLS), Susan Hooke, has announced that 27 candidates have raised their hands to represent landholders in the Hunter-Mid North Coast region on the board of Hunter LLS.

CHAIR of Hunter Local Land Services (LLS), Susan Hooke, has announced that 27 candidates have raised their hands to represent landholders in the Hunter-Mid North Coast region on the board of Hunter LLS.

"The response from across the region has been extremely encouraging and shows the interest in the Local Land Services organisation," Ms Hooke said.

"Ratepayers must now ensure they are enrolled to vote so they can have their say on who will represent them and their interests on the board of Hunter LLS.

"The most important thing for ratepayers to be aware of is that the ex Livestock Health and Pest Authority electoral roll is not being transferred to Local Land Services.

To be eligible to vote on the candidates, ratepayers must complete an enrolment form and either drop it in to one of the LLS offices listed below, mail it to PO Box 76 Wingham 2429, or scan and email their form to admin.hunter@lls.nsw.gov.au by close of business on February 17.

"Ratepayers who previously paid rates to the LHPA should have received their enrolment forms in the post before Christmas.

"I urge anyone who hasn't received these forms to contact their nearest LLS office as soon as possible," Ms Hooke said.

"Our staff are more than happy to assist with completing the forms.

"At this stage enrolments for our region are relatively low, which means a large majority of our local ratepayers will not have the opportunity to vote in the March election," she said.

LLS has been operational since the beginning of January. The Hunter LLS covers the local government areas of Cessnock, Dungog, Gloucester, Great Lakes, Greater Taree, Lake Macquarie, Maitland, Muswellbrook, Newcastle, Port Stephens, Singleton and Upper Hunter.